


Experience of Tuesday's

by Emony



Series: Key's Enterprise [3]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: Enterprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-09
Updated: 2010-01-09
Packaged: 2017-10-06 01:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emony/pseuds/Emony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn learns how some things have changed in her absence and others haven't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Experience of Tuesday's

**Author's Note:**

> TwistedShorts #15.  
> First posted 15 September 2005

I've barely had a chance to breathe since I got the go ahead to stay on board the Enterprise. Several 'incidents' have occurred; Trip and Hoshi got exposed to some virus thing and then there was a whole thing with the Andorians, Tellarites and Vulcans, but I did get to meet that Shran guy; pretty cool for a blue-skin. All those crappy sci-fi shows Andrew used to force me to watch came in handy, these guys go through as much trouble as we did, and not only on a Tuesday!

Anyway, the point of all this is we get to visit 'home'. In fact, we're just coming into orbit for the launch of another ship like Enterprise, called the Columbia. It looks the same and it's taking one of my new friends away with it. God, I sound like the whiny fourteen year old I once was. There's some sort of tension going on between Trip and T'Pol and now he's transferring off ship. I wish he wouldn't; him and Hoshi felt like they'd be my Willow and Xander. Is it sad that I still measure myself up to Buffy? I don't think so, Wills and Xan were my friends, too, and to have friends like them - even with the ups and downs they had - would be amazing.

I am going down to the planet, I've seen pictures, but it all seems too clean and shiny, like a movie of the future and not real life. If Angel wasn't down there, I wouldn't be going. My door chime's ringing, I guess we're parked.

***

I'm glad that we got to use the shuttlepod to take us down; I'm not ready to use the transporter yet - its signalled change in my life too often. It also gave me some time to get to know Travis better; he seems like a nice guy. I'm walking through the Starfleet district now; it's all big white buildings and the roads - no gum on the sidewalks! It's the first time I've been left to my own devices; I guess they figure I grew up on Earth, therefore I gotta know my way around the place, ha! Yeah, right. At least I managed to download a map on to a padd before I left.

I turn the corner and suddenly it feels more real. The buildings are old - would have been old when I was born; brick, like a university building. There are less people about now, like people don't want to be in this area; maybe it's not 'futuristic' enough for them. The people that are around look a little more relaxed, the people in the last area I passed through looked like Wes used to, only in Starfleet uniforms.

The map says I'm here. I look up, the building is huge, and I suddenly realise where I am and the whole area changes. I've been here before - this is the California base. We stayed away from LA and moved north. I look back behind me, and remember the buildings that used to be, the people that filled the streets; it's another reminder that I don't fit in anymore.

There are two guys in Starfleet uniforms on the door, guarding it, keeping people away from classified stuff. Only Angel knows I'm coming, he didn't want it spread around for some reason.

"Can we help you ma'am?"

I realise I've been standing there staring at them and the building for the last five minutes; they're standing sharper now, like I might be a threat. That and the jeans and hooded top might be confusing them.

"I have a meeting with An- Admiral Connor."

The one on the left calls up something on the panel in the wall, the only sign that the building has left the 21st century I knew it in.

"The Admiral does not have any meetings planned for today, therefore I'll have to ask you to leave ma'am."

"You're kidding me right?"

"No ma'am."

They're standing even straighter now, if that's even possible.

"Typical, bloody typical… he practically orders me here and then doesn't bother to tell anyone I'm coming!"

The guy on the right tries to had his smile, this is the one that's gonna help me.

"I'm sorry ma'am, there's nothing down for today." Him on the left, again.

"That's 'cause he cleared it for me."

"And you are?" the guy on the right, at least he has a brain.

"Dawn Summers."

They crack up.

"What?"

"Try another one ma'am."

From my puzzled look the guy on the right helps out, "if you knew how many we get each week telling us that they really are Dawn Summers, you wouldn't have tried that."

People try to be me? What the hell? That often?

The guy on the left pipes up again. "Ma'am, you're going to have to move on now."

I decide to leave. "Boy, are you gonna be red in the face."

I walk back the way I came, stopping a hundred yards away, still in view of them, possibly even in the hearing range. I take out the communicator from the pocket of my jeans.

"Summers to Enterprise."

The two on the door suddenly attempt to look as though they aren't watching me.

"Enterprise here, Dawn."

"Hey Hoshi, you not down yet?"

"I leave in half an hour."

"K."

"Are you having a problem?"

I look directly at the idiots on the door.

"Yeah, is Jon, sorry - Captain Archer - available, Hosh?"

"I'll put you through to his office, he's not left yet."

"Dawn?"

"Jon. Can you contact Admiral Connor for me? He forgot to let the men on the door know I was coming today."

"Can do. It should be sorted in a few minutes. Are they giving you a hard time?"

"They laughed when I told them who I was."

"I'm sorry about that, Dawn. You might get that from Operation: Dawn Light people for a while."

"I guess."

I closed the communicator and headed back towards the building, sitting on the wall in front of it.

"Ma'am?"

"Oh, don't worry yourselves; this will all be sorted out in a bit."

"Right." He tries hard not to laugh at the latest loony.

I sit for a few moments, then the door opens, it's Angel. This surprises my new friends; obviously he doesn't answer his own door very often. He breaks into a grin, also unusual if I know my guy, and I do.

"Dawnie!"

The looks on their faces are priceless as he sweeps me into a bear hug.

"Hey, Angel."

"Sir?"

"An unfortunate mistake, I thought I'd be out here by the time she arrived."

They gape further.

He takes my hand and drags me into the building; I wink at the doormen as I'm pulled through.

***

"Uh… Angel?"

"Yeah?" he turns to look at me as I'm following him through familiar corridors heading towards my old office. I wave my arm towards a window.

"Oh, that… you remember those windows at Wolfram and Hart?"

"Yes."

"Technology. There's a field a metre out of the building that allows me to be outside in the day time."

"Wow."

"Yeah, but it only works for that metre round the building and I don't take advantage of it so often, but it helps with the whole meeting and greeting thing."

He opens the door in front of him, the office of the head of the base - the one that used to be mine - and allows me to enter first. The room almost transports me back. Not much has changed, there's still what looks like a fancy desktop on the same oak desk and the walls are covered in the same books and bookshelves. The photos on the wall, some of them are the same; of course there are new ones too. He takes the seat behind the desk and gestures at one of the ones in front. I take the seat.

"Sorry about that, Dawn, I had a meeting run late."

I laugh; it was something that had happened to me too many times to count. "Don't worry about it. Those guys? They said-"

"That you couldn't be you?"

I nod.

"You know about the conspiracy thing?" I nod again, "We get people trying to get promotions by pretending to be you back from wherever, plastic surgery has moved on quite a bit."

He hands me a new padd.

"This has a code on it that will allow you in here and to other bases, so that won't happen again."

"Thanks. So will it be made known that I'm back?"

"To those that meet you and those at the top."

"Right." I stare at the photos on the wall behind his head. Some of them I've seen recently; Faith's kids, Xander's, even Buffy had one. Then I remember the name of the ship that was to have brought me back.

"The Lehane?" I smirk.

He laughs. "Yeah, she would have hated it. But she was a hero too. There's the Rosenburg Institute, you know about Operation Dawn Light, and there's also The Harris, another sister ship to the Columbia and the Enterprise; it'll be launched next year. The school that Slayers go through is the Giles School of Excellence; most then go on through a special 'fleet training programme."

"And Buffy?"

"Buffy?" He smiles. "She asked us not to name anything after her; the only way she'd ever let us get away with it was if you got to do it, otherwise she'd come back and kick our asses."

"Sounds like her."

"Yes. So what are you going to name after her?" He grins.

"I don't know; give me some time to think about it."

"Will do."

***

We talked for hours, well into the night. It was nice, something familiar. I stayed in my old room, Angel had taken another suite, mine having been designated as a no go area by Buffy. It was weird, almost like a shrine to the past, to me. Angel did say it would always be mine, some place to stay whenever the ship was back on Earth.

The next morning he showed me round and introduced me to his deputy and the head slayer. The deputy knew his stuff and the slayer was good, not as good as Buffy or Faith, but maybe on a level of Vi or Kennedy. She reminded me of someone too, not that I could figure out who, until Angel told me.

"She's a descendent of Connor."

"What?"

"Brianna. She's a descendent of his."

"You have a slayer in the family?"

He nodded.

I laughed so long at that one; Angel joined in too.

Whilst he was showing me the training areas, which were a mix of what used to be and of the gym on the Enterprise, we bumped into Mr Left and Mr Right. Angel was in one of those rare playful moods, and ready to tease the hell out of the poor guys. I stuck my hand out towards them and smiled, "Dawn Summers."

"Ma'am." From Mr Left.

"Hi." From Mr Right, who then shook my hand.

"What's his problem?" I asked Mr Right, looking at Mr Left.

I was interrupted by my communicator beeping.

"Summers here."

"Summers, leave has been cancelled; get back to the shuttlepod now."

And then they were gone.

"Well, that was… nice. Guess I'm going."

***

I arrived back on board to discover that Phlox was missing, kidnapped.

"Is it Tuesday?"

Jon gave me a funny look.

"No, Ms Summers, it is not." T'Pol, more stuck up Wes-like than the Brit.

I grinned. "He'll be ok then."

"How is it possible to tell how a person will be from the day of the week, Ms Summers?"

"I have experience, it's not Tuesday, and he'll be ok."

"Experience, Ms Summers?" I still haven't got her calling me Dawn, yet.

"Bad things happen on Tuesdays, T'Pol, having been kidnapped many times, mostly on Tuesdays, I know enough to know that if it's not Tuesday things work out better."

I get the eyebrow for that one.

"I guess even Vulcans can learn something new every day."

Oh, and Phlox got back to us in the end.


End file.
